Small Things

Unit: Publishing Practice 212 - Writing for Computers
Weekly Thoughts for Teaching Week 5

Finally, we are away from that awful C-2-C book. Hell, as much as I dislike reading off a screen, the web-articles are far easier to read, and what's more - THEY MAKE SENSE!

I hadn't really given much thought to what nanopublishing is, but I have to say that I'm disappointed that it's not as interesting as it first sounds. And I'm not the only one. My nanotechnology-studying friend was very put out when he discovered nanopulishing is not some wonderous culmination of his field and ours. Who can blame him?

The first reading kept coming up as Not Found, so I can't really place a comment on that one right now. Yes, Adrian, this one seems to have disappeared as well. Or maybe I'm just typing it in wrong, either way wouldn't really surprise me.

Now, as for the "how to write a better weblog," it seems pretty practical, not only from a journal writer's point of view, but pretty much from any writer. Although, some of it would clearly work better for articles than it would novels. One of the first things that Mahoney does is to show the difference between professional and amateur writers and I have to say that I prefer to read somewhere between the two examples. That New York is magnificent in the spring is all good and fine, but not living in New York, I would like to know what makes it so magnificent. Not that the amateur example really demonstrates this, but it shows that there is some level of passion for the city. Much better than a cold statement that the professional offered. As for "patience, readers, all is not lost," well, I'm yet to find reassurance. Yes, it's not just the internet that has shown degeneration of language skills (just the other night the news reported that "a woman from blah was attacked by another woman with a man. I'm sure they didn't mean the second woman attacked the first using the man as a weapon, but that's what it sounded like) but it does have a lot to answer for. I know my own writing skills go considerably awry while I'm writing this and the point is I can't be bothered going back and changing it later. Hands up who else can.

The third site seemed all dedicated to blogs, which just takes all the interest away. We were supposed to be looking at the categories listed on the right. Yeah, they're listed all right, about 3/4 of the way down the page. By then the magnitude of blog links really puts me off. I don't read blogs. I have almost no interest in them. The only blogs I read are those of a precious few friends and I mostly figure if they have something worth telling me, they're going to say it to my face. Have you ever come across anything so frustrating as trying to search for something (article, image, etc) and keep finding your google links taking you to blogs, through which you have to wade for hours only to find that the material is fairly insubstantial? It's not like I actually expect anyone to read this.

I'll try the first site again later, and hope.

Time of the New Moon

Unit: general

So. It's a tute free week, which means lectures as well, so no going to uni for me. Or, so I thought, except that there was a creative writing assignment (3 150 word character sketches) due this afternoon, so I had to take that in. Who makes assignments due in the *week off*? I wouldn't have argued if it had been due last Friday. Also, I have discussions for the CIT presentation my group is to make next Tuesday in class. It's about gardens. I haven't gotten around to doing the actual journal for the reading yet... which I will have to do before next Tuesday, or my tutor is likely to get very upset.
I was going to start researching for my pwp tutorial, in which I am looking at Orson Welles and that War of the Worlds incident. It amuses me so much. I think I'm going to take blurring the line between fiction and non-fiction as my topic, but I'm as yet undecided.
Nothing else much to report on the academic front.
Oh, there's a meeting for the honours program sometime soon, of course, on a Wednesday, which means I have to take the day off work. Unhappy. It's not enough that the university should put me $7000 into hecs debt, nooo, they have to reduce my weekly wage intake too. Gorram it.

Oh yes. There has been a slight overhaul to the blog. You know, change in background, name, etc. Everything that was originally here was done on a spur of the moment 5 minutes in the first class and I have since tired of my useless attempts at wit. Let us say that the newness is good, and the full dark of the night of the new moon is a nice time for Sharrans to carry out their sneakiness. I feel somewhat more settled now. And no, it has nothing to do with anything involving dice...

Write or Wrong?

Unit: Professional Writing and Presentation 212 - Fakes, Frauds and Fictions
Journal for Week 4 - Helen Demidenko and The Hand That Signed the Paper

Ah, Demidenko and The Hand That Signed The Paper. I mentioned it to my family and got a rather mixed response. But that aside.

The Demidenko case brought up some interesting points about what is right and wrong in the writing field. For a start, you do begin to wonder how a book is judged in competitions – was she awarded the prize because the narrative was felt to be a “true story?” (although listed as fiction) I myself know that as a writer of fantasy, I generally submit work knowing that it will certainly not be the winner of any prize, because fantasy seems to create a disdain amongst “real writers.” But to judge a book on the popularity of the genre seems absolutely insane, especially when the actual quality of the writings submitted is ignored.

One of the arguments that arose in my household concerned what exactly “Demidenko” did wrong through her impersonation of an ethnicity not her own. I can understand how the material of her book could be quite damaging to an ethnic group whose viewpoints are not the same as hers. But at the same time, plenty of authors adopt a pen-name for the same reason – to become someone they're not. I use one because I often don't feel comfortable attaching my name to some of the subject matter in my poems. What does that make me?

However, I, and all the writers I've spoken to, disagree with the notion that fiction authors have an obligation to provide a moral core to their work. Very simply, that's just another form of censorship and cultural conditioning. That aside, the adult readers should be able to think things out for themselves and make their own moral decisions concerning the story they have read. So here, I do not believe that Demidenko has done the wrong thing by writing from a point of view that personally justifies the character's personal involvement in the holocaust.

Reading
Demidenko, Helen. The Hand That Signed The Paper. Allen and Unwin: NSW. 1994. 1-22, 86-93.

Every Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Unit : Cultural Identities in Texts 212 - Implications of Modernity
Reading Notes for Week 4 (250 word limit)

This article argues that oil paintings are a visual text that can be used to demonstrate ways of seeing that were present in the modern era. Oil paintings, more than other forms of art, portrayed these ways of seeing because its techniques made for far more realistic paintings - could more accurately show “life as it truly was.”

Berger demonstrates how capitalist obsessions were ingrained into the oil painting and thus into our way of seeing the world. He uses The Ambassadors as an example of how wealth was portrayed in oil paintings. This did not only have to be monetary wealth, as the use of the lute and up-to-date maps show. Knowledge is power.

In general, only those things that could be owned and that implied ownership were included in paintings. Thus, landscapes were not generally painted as they were without the boundaries of ownership. The exception is in the portrayal of people with the land they owned.

Paintings also constructed certain narratives about the people that they portrayed. For instance, oil paintings' ability to show skin tones made images of women more “realistic.” The woman then becomes the sexual object of the (mostly male) gaze. This would then make the purity of some painted women questionable, simply through their sexual portrayal through painting.

Constructions of social class can be found in images of the poor, who were shown to have their hopes pinned on the upper classes, which the same upper classes would have endorsed - as it is most likely that they themselves commissioned the paintings.

Reading
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation & Penguin Books. Norwich, 1979. 83-113

Only 11 Months in a Year

Unit: Publishing Pracitce 212 - Writing for Computers
General

I don't actually have much to say about chapter 5 of that horrible book, because this time it actually made a bit of sense. I think that might have something to do with the fact the chapter had something like 5 authors. They clearly require all that brain power. But no, the technological ideas they were presenting made a lot of sense and was even almost interesting. Although, I have to ask, if this technology has been in the works since 1975 (although work only resumed in 1991 - still a substantial amount of time has passed since then) and is so miraculous, then why haven't we heard more about it? And other than that, the chapter really just passed me by. Thank the gods that I don't have to read the next chapter until some time in October.

Now, speaking of October... I somehow muddled up all the months and thought October was next month. Which normally is not that much of a problem, unless you stop and take our review assignment into consideration. Normally, its due at the beginning of October, but if we want it published, we need to submit by the end of September. Silly me, thinking October was next month... thats right, I started the assignment for the published submission date which I thought was sometime this week. Wouldn't have been a problem if there weren't two submission dates, because then I just would have gone on until my diary threw it up at me. So now, I've gone and gotten out a new release dvd, and turns out 1) I don't quite need it just yet and 2) I'm going to have to buy another one in a month. I sigh.

Reading
Cope, B & D Mason. “Creating A Viable E-Text Market” C-2-C, Creator to Consumer. Common Ground Publishing. Victoria, 2001. 123 - 135

Fictive Reality

Unit: Professional Writing and Presentation 212 - Fakes, Frauds and Fictions
Journal Week 3 (yes, getting in early this week) based on readings and lecture.

So, what exactly is the difference between fact and fiction? Increasingly, I am finding that there is very little separating the two. Going on from literature studies last semester, and the proposals of CIT throughout the last two years, you could say that even reality is nothing more than a fiction, a cultural construction.

Eventually, through study, this becomes a pretty normative mode of thought, to the point that none of us can watch movies for enjoyment anymore, alas. But, I was surprised to realise, when I was finally made to stop and think about it, that the blurring between fact and fiction in cultural narratives is far more obvious than CIT subtleties. For sure, we've all looked at photos and argued over whether or not its real or staged, but then the question arises as to why it was staged. Its disturbing when you realise that it wasn't simply to portray a pretty picture, but used as a mode of propaganda. The readings refer to the arguments arising over Capa's Death of the Republican Soldier photo and its authenticity. Stopping to wonder why on earth it could possibly have been staged, it doesn't take long to realise that someone somewhere wanted that picture and the narrative behind it for some (devious?) reason.

Relate this then to writing. Last week we looked at the impact Norma Kuhri had on racial stereotypes. But why? It was all just an act anyway. You have to question how easy it is to become something you're not. And then, gods, you go back to cultural studies and remember that its all just an act in the first place. Man, woman, Australian or not, none of those means anything unless we want it to. And we use all of these things, these pre-existing narratives to imply, such as the Private Lynch incident built around the narrative put into larger perspective by Saving Private Ryan.

Readings
You know what? I can't be bothered finding the publishing exacts for the sole purpose of this blog right now. I read two things and went to a lecture. That will suffice.

Just Can't Take This Anymore

Unit: Publishing Practice 212 - Writing for Computers
Ramble about chapter 7 of that damnded C-2-C book.

This is why I only commented on chapter 4 before even thinking about picking up chapter 7. (yes, its a weird reading schedule, but I'm mostly sticking to it) I am biased by now, most like, but this book irks me something nasty.

Let's see what benefits this chapter would like to offer. Authors will become responsible for the appearance and layout of their own books. Add to this the fact that anyone will be an author and, oh dear, what horror. Let's face the fact that not everyone has a good idea of what actually looks good. The majority of writers I know are just that, writers, and would admit any form of design work is beyond them. The one exception is my graphic designer co-author, whose dual abilities far outstrip my own and make me cry. But therein lies the point. Most authors are not also graphic designers. Most would not know how to make their stuff look good and let's face it, we do judge a book by its cover. You need only think of those god-awful websites that exist now to understand what I mean. (You know the ones, bright blue writing on brighter blue backgrounds, with flashing fuschia/yellow headings) Imagine if they got to design their book. You just know some fool masquerading as an author will get it into their head to make their pages pink and their writing green. The horror.

As for publishers, well apparantly anyone would now be able to become a publisher at no cost. Right, so, my university degree is redundant and I don't even have it yet. On the flipside, at least I will have a publishing degree and, I hope, some measure of publishing training. And for all those people who don't? Not only will we let them be their own graphic desginers, but publishers also. The absolute horror.

Where is the professionalism of this industry going? According to C-2-C models, straight out the window. As an arts student, I think we have a big enough fight for recognition and credibility, without all this shit making it so much the harder for us.

And what, I ask, happens when writers (note, not authors, because that takes something special) choose to market their work (note, not books, because they're not books unless they are physical holdable books) as something its not? There is a big enough debacle over truth and fiction as it is marketed now. Who will be held accountable? And how will it be prevented? At least now publishers (some of them are not doing so well, I admit) are the gatekeepers.

Think of the horror that will befall us.

Books are books. You have e-books, which aren't really books, but they're e-books because they're electronic versions. But d-books because they are digitally printed? No. No, no, no, no.

I began reading this chapter feeling like I've seen this bit before. Then, it occured to me. The authors didn't correspond with each other over the content of their separate chapters. There was no overseeing editor. They wrote the same damn chapter in at least 10 different versions, through lack of communication and professionalism that should be in place in commercial writing. Apparantly they would prefer a book industry that has removed all of the trained publishers, editors and graphic designers. Which is just [censor language]

I hate this book.

Admittedly, I didn't finish chapter 7. I couln't read it any more. COULDN'T!

Time and Space in the Modern Era

Unit: Cultural Identities in Texts 212 - Implications of Modernity
Week 3 Reading Notes (250 word limit)

This article argues that concepts of Time and Space have changed over time, with current uses put in place by the “Enlightenment Project.” Harvey makes reference to the 'time-space compression' concept. By this, Harvey means to make a point of the 'shrinking world,' or the fact that it takes less time to go further.

To demonstrate this compression of the world (vastly through the evolution of telecommunications) Harvey makes reference to the evolution of maps and the art of cartography from the medieval period, through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment period, to the present (post-modern). He notes that in medieval times, the external spaces of the maps were seen to be heavenly spaces inhabited by the external authorities.

The Renaissance period and the new voyages of exploration saw that map-making now included the wider world, and began to indicate a finite globe, as opposed to a medieval concept of an infinite and flat existence.

Later maps had their fantastical and artistic values removed, and were instead replaces with “fact.” Maps were to provide and understanding of property rights, territory boundaries, etc.

Time came to be understood through the construction of the chronometer, which could measure the flow of time. With this comes the concepts of interest rates, hourly wages and all those things which are crucial to the capitalist system. Clearly, new ideas concerning our place (both spatially and time-relative) are vastly important to the modern (capitalist) way of life. As the ideas evolved throughout the Enlightenment's modernisation project, the reordering of time and space meant that it no longer reflected God's glory, but human liberation as a free and active individual.

Reading
Harvey, David. "The Time and Space of the Enlightenment Project" The Condition of Post-modernity: An Enquiry Into the Origins of Cultural Change. Oxford: Blackwell, 1989. 240-259

Authorial Identity

Unit: Professional Writing and Presentation 212 - Fakes, Frauds and Fictions
Journal for Week 2 (300 word limit)

I admit that I first thought authorial identity was concerned with the perceptions audiences brought to the reading arising from who the author is. Things like, you expect a certain style or level of quality from a particular author. In fact, it turned out that it would include this and something more.

Authorial identity comes to equally mean that readers come to trust in the author wholly, because of the authority that they have. (Is it then surprising that “author” exists in “authority?”) This leads on to the book scandals that occur through the misleading of the reading public over the true identity of the author. I'm not sure this would occur quite so dramatically in a purely fiction demographic, as the author does not really seem to exist in the same “world” as his/her book. However, in the marketing of the non-fiction, the author truly does become the voice of authority. It seems that this is especially the case in terms of biography. It had never occurred to me that an author would reconstruct their history in order to write a book, because I guess the short of it is, why can't they just write their story and call it fiction? Well, because scandal sells, for a start. Seems a pretty sloppy way to go about marketing your book though, on scandal rather than proper quality. It is also disturbing to note the kind of racial divisions that can be widened by such books, and its all very sad if its all based on a lie to earn the author money.

Studying publishing, I find it intriguing that publishers do not hold themselves accountable, even though I would have expected that they would look into the truth of these “non-fiction” books. Who chooses to market the book as truth? It is something I would have though the publisher would get a good say on, and yet they hold no responsibility. Very odd.

I Love My Rogues

Unit: Creative Writing 212-2 - Genre Shortfiction
Crime and Fantasy Genre, week 3 readings.

I intend to focus mainly on the points raised in Forensics in Fiction, as they translate into other genres as well. However, in terms of the crime genre. Well, its rather strange, but I do not find crime very interesting to read. Strange because I do find it compelling in the television format. In particular, I enjoy Criminal Intent (of the Law and Order franchise) and I think that this perhaps comes from the fact that Criminal Intent plays with the conventions of "true" crime fiction. For those not familiar with the typical Criminal Intent structure, the show begins with a series of scenes showing the audience how the crime is set up, all the way through to its realisation. It is only after this that the detection process is begun, always relating back to what came before. Clearly, the writers have been able to retain enough information to keep the audience's interest for the full running hour.

Death and the Compass fulfills the codes of crime fiction, as readers are given clues along the way that they may choose to attempt to solve for themselves, before reaching the end. My half-hearted attempt didn't really serve me well, but on looking back over the text later, I could see the clues that would have helped. The suspense is maintained and the resolution.... well, it doesn't really fulfill the reassuring purpose of crime fiction, but it is fiction. (Remebering that crime fiction finds its popularity in being able to reassure readers that the "bad guy" is always going to be caught. It also reinstates the state apparatuses that keep society in its place. In short, our existance is pretty much made clear and confirmed in crime fiction.) The Killers doesn't work very well here. Most of this problem arises from the fact that the narrative is begun from the point of view from two hitmen. It is questionable that a crime is committed, and there is clearly no resolution. If we understand crime fiction as a reassurance that the criminals will be caught, then The Killers fails. The criminals get away, and clearly plan on carrying out their crime later. There is nothing resembling any detective work. In fact, The Killers feels completely unfinished. As this was a Hemingway piece, I was rather surprised, given his apparant popularity. (The only other Hemingway text I have read is an excerpt from Hills Like White Elephants, which in contrast was well written.)

Forensics in Fiction focuses on how research is used to create a plausible fiction narrative. I believe that such research has to work well, as crime is one of the sub-genres of "the realist" genre. Audiences of realist fiction are looking for the nitty-gritty, the feel that "this is what really happens." To have crime fiction that doesn't sustain this would be to undermine itself. This should be obvious, to anyone who stops and really thinks about it. And most writers at some point do stop and think about it. Science fiction will not work if the scientific terms they use are incorrect (like Star Wars' infamous reference to parsecs as a measure of time as opposed to length) the magic of myth is broken. Even fiction has to be plausible at some level. I have quite a lot of trouble writing to the crime and science fiction genres because of the level of intricacy required with facts. I simply don't have the patience, or, quite often, the interest required to sustain that patience. However, I think that it is a common misconception that fantasy texts require no research in order to make them work. Fantasy is my preferred genre and I know that this is not true. I've spent hours at the state library researching animals that my characters can magically turn into. My co-author spent even longer reading up on climates and geography in order to make our map work properly. So, it came as no suprise that this reading reinforced the need for "truth" in fiction. It keeps the illusion and makes us believe (not simply want to believe) that whatever we are reading is in fact happening somewhere.

I think that its absolutely no mystery that I'm a writer first and a maybe-publisher second.

(And the other connection between crime and fantasy fiction? Thieves. I love the little buggers. Who can survive without being able to pick locks, I will never understand. Granted, we lose out on many things, such as being able to actually hit things and do much (any?) damage to them, and almost dying *alot* but there is just something compelling about fantastical thieves.)



Readings

Borges, Jorge Luis. "Death and the Compass." Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings. Penguin Books. 1981. 106-117
Hemingway, Ernest. "The Killers." The First Forty-Nine Stories. London: Jonathon Cape, 1968. 224-233.
Lord, Gabrielle. "Forensics in Fiction." Writing Queensland. Sept. 2004. 6-7

Woe Once More

Unit: Publishing Practice 212 - Writing for Computers
Thoughts on reading chapter 4 of C-2-C.

The more I read of this book, the more I find myself hating it.

Firstly, how presumptious is this? The authors' clearly believe that the C-2-C models they are proposing are the Gods' gift to this world. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought they could end world poverty through e-publishing. (Good luck to them on that front) During the hypotheticals in chapter 4, e-publishing was touted as a means to an end of East Timor's internal troubles. Certainly, the communication and language dispute is an important one, as language does indeed make the culture that uses it, and the introduction of computer systems that can breach the language barrier would go towards helping the issue. But, as far as I was aware, this was not the only problem being experienced by East Timor. How on earth does e-publishing help to resolve the political issues of a country in a situation such as East Timor? I think the authors really need to step back and realise that online printing is not really the most important thing in this case, because they are hailing their idea as one that will miraculously change East Timor into a completely harmonious, completely technologically functioning country (without meaning to offend or sound quite so presumptious myself, I simply cannot think of a better way to word that right now)

As a writer, I was quite alarmed by the idea that "authors and their readers are delighted to have an opportunity to interact around the creation process." Excuse me? You mean to say, readers directly influencing the creation of a book? No, I don't like that line, and the cover needs to have more blue in it, that kind of thing? ... what? It's like the current hype of J.K. Rowling recieving fan mail begging her not to kill off her main character. It's her baby and she can and will do what the hell she wants with it. I am not a fan of her work (it could even be said, I am in fact anti-Potter, although such things have calmed considerably...) however, I still find it ridiculous that readers think they should have influence over what she writes. I'm sorry, but by the time they find out whether or not the characters in question are dead or not, they will have bought the book already and she will have achieved what she wanted. Too bad. What is the point of being an author if you don't want to be the writer? And I have spoken to several writers who share my view. If readers don't like your version of events, well, that's what fanfiction is for. Again, this points to the complete disintegration of the art that is writing. And it is an art. It takes time and love and care, not just some fancy electronics and some overzealous fans. Honestly.

Now, what about the technological problems? I study at what is named the University of Technology. You can ask any student here about that title and they will most likely shake their head at the sheer irony. The University of Technology can't even get their stuff working properly. Don't even get me started on the uselessness of the online tutorial enrolment process. How on earth is an international digital publishing scheme going to stand? I shudder to think. And what about the idea that museums will no longer have inventory? What happens to archivists? And onwards goes that argument. Humans and their skills (often loves and passions) are being replaced by cold technology. In the post-modern world, where you are defined through the occupation you possess, technology spells complete destruction of the existence of human life, for right now the very point of life is to work. We are simply undermining ourselves. This is an old and very worked argument, I know. However, I and others believe that it is still a valid one.

Readings
Cope, B & D Mason. “Emerging Business Models” C-2-C, Creator to Consumer. Common Ground Publishing. Victoria, 2001. 101 - 117

.... eh?

Unit: Publishing Practice 212 - Writing for Computers
Thoughts on reading chapter 2 and 8 of C-2-C.

Well, I haven't really all that much to add. These two chapters really just go into depth about what chapter 1 was talking about. Except, it dragged on. I think they found six different ways to talk about marketing. I think. I'm not entirely sure because I found it an extremely hard 40 pages to read.

As the book was published using the technique they have so glorified, what does this say? Well, first off, that academic readings are hardly about to get easier. But then, you have to wonder... the chapters are all written by different people - what is the constant between them, other than their topic? Is there an editor present? Perhaps there should be. Never mind the grammatical mistakes. (such as saying there instead of three, and repeating a bullet point) Sloppy writing, didn't I say that (not using those words) last time I commented on the reading?

It will be good for writers... how? From their little pie chart, authors will still be payed the same, a measly 10%. Hardly an incentive. Publishers will get to focus more on ... well, what I'm not entirely sure. Surely, the role of a publisher is to *publish*, yes? Apparantly not, which leaves me wondering what the hell I've decided to spend the rest of my life doing. (There is an upside to this whole digital publishing thing, [notice however, it is simply relegated to an in-bracket notation] in that I'm not sure I really want to leave Perth. Sure, there isn't much here, but its home. This is where my life is. This is *not* where the work is. See the problem? Digital publishing could cut out this problem, but at the moment I'm still doubtful.)

These chapters also openly admit that digital printing doesn't have the quality of offset printing. It doesn't quite make a case for the digital printing process, which somewhat mystifies me, because surely you want to argue for your cause. (maybe they did and I missed/misinterpreted it. It was a hard going 40 pages.)

But enough. I have more to worry about, like how I am to get the full reading, pre-reading notes and reading notes done for CIT before Thursday. And wondering when my PHB2 will be in, because I want it, dammit! They said this week... see the dilemma created by having to order in books? You want to do this *every time* you buy a book? No, I didn't think so.

Readings
Cope, B & D Mason. “Australian Book Production in Transition” C-2-C, Creator to Consumer. Common Ground Publishing. Victoria, 2001. 41 - 75
Cope, B & D Mason. “The Book Now - Creative Destruction and the Rebirth of an Industry” C-2-C, Creator to Consumer. Common Ground Publishing. Victoria, 2001. 195 - 213

Subjectivity

Unit: Cultural Identities in Texts 212 – Implications of Modernity.
Notes from reading The Individual, Self and Subject. (approx 250 word limit)

This article argues that subjectivity cannot be fully explained. Mansfield instead sets out to outline the arguments and differing understandings of the term "subject."
Varying philosophers and thinkers are used as the focus of these thoughts, and are all linked together.
"Subjectivity refers to an abstract or general principal that defines our separation into distinct selves that encourages us to imagine that our interior lives inevitably seem to involve other people." (Mansfield, 3)

Freud believed that subjectivity grew with the human body as it experienced life and interaction with other beings, namely parents. These encounters alert the being to the fact that it is separate to those around it - an individual.

For Foucault, subjectivity is invented by the dominant systems that occur in the social organisation - invented so that these organisations may better control and manage us. The society is taught that the organisation of the world depends on the division of the human race into fixed and polar categories, ie sick vs well. Subjectivity is then not the result of the free expression of interior truth, but instead an exterior motive in which we are led to think about our individual selves in order to present ourselves according to the rules of society.

According to Descartes (I think, therefore I am) knowledge of the world had to wait until selfhood was made philosophically secure. As Kant theorises, in order to have contact with the exterior world, the human requires an awareness of self. (in order to make the distinction, relate to Freud's theory)

Ideas of individuality emerge as key issues during the Enlightenment period - however, it has been complicated and interrogated by the culture of the 20th century. (Most philosophy on subjectivity remains within streams of thought presented by the thinkers of the 18th century)

Reading
Mansfield, Nick. Subjectivity and Theories of Self from Freud to Haraway. Allen and Unwin: 2000. 1-24.

Oh, The Horror

Unit: Creative Writing 212-2 – Genre Shortfiction.
Notes and thoughts, from readings of Secret Observations on the Goat-Girl and Horror. (unable to access The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe)

Horror: “is often used interchangeably with terror to describe the intense emotions produced by objects of fear, whether they be uncanny or sublime, repulsive or threatening.” (Botting, 123)

Horror fiction (which, as explored in Literature Studies 212 and very possibly in another Botting work, Gothic Excess and Transgression) is gothic by its very nature. Thus, you would expect to find that it uses the gothic themes – such as those of liminal spaces, doubling effects and subterranean spaces. Botting goes on to say horror's “object remains uncertain, lost among a general blurring of images.” This would be the employment of liminality, as such spaces exist neither here nor there, but rather in the middle. Liminal spaces, then, create a sense of unease through their refusal to be placed into defined opposites. In terms of Horror, Botting uses Dracula as an example of a narrative – undeath occupies a liminal space which clearly creates a sense of unease to the living.

Horror fiction itself evolves with the changing times. Wheras vampirism appeared once to be an exploration of Victorian taboo - “indeed, the strange and uncanny sensations that Harker experiences in castle Dracula are linked to a general eruption of familiar and culturally repressed ideas... vampires release repressed natural energies.” (Botting,128) However, come the 19^th century, vampirism becomes linked to scientific experimentation. Dracula is no longer a religious agent, but one whose powers are now chemical energies. (think here something like Ultraviolet, in which vampirism is a genetic mutation engineered by scientists)

Oates' Goat-Girl is then an inhabitant of the liminal space between human and animal, which Botting also explored. (using E.F Benson's The Horror-Horn as an example) “animality and sexuality conjoin to shroud a recognisably human form with the regressive features that are perceived as diabolically human. The conjunction of human shape and animal characteristics evokes horror: it is a being that refuses to remain a symbolically established place and, shifting between animal and human features, confounds what should be a definite and absolute distinction.” (Botting,129)

The horror arising from the Goat-Girl seem not to come from her animalistic appearance, but rather the human behaviour that is attributed to her. Simply, animals cannot be human. Her agelessness also appears to give some sense of unease to the narrator. The Goat-Girl's inability (or refusal?) to grow older almost grants her a sense of immortality, perhaps standing in for the ideas of undeath, blurring the concepts of linear living and dying. There are also uncomfirmed hints throughout the narrative that suggest the Goat-Girl is the child of two humans, namely the parents of the narrator. The horror here would be the suggestion that animality can be born from humans, further blurring the lines between what is human and what is animal.

That the Goat-Girl loses her daytime shyness during the night and becomes something stronger and more terrifying also lends to the horror/gothic code. After all, how many horror stories take place in the day, or how many gothic creatures take their strength from the night/moon? There is something in the darkness that terrifies man, and appears here to be the source of the horror's strength. It is by the night that the Goat-Girl takes her most human attributes, no longer content to remain in her paddock frolicking, but coming closer to the house with “her defiant posture, her glaring pale eyes,” (Oates, 500) and an apparent hatred of those that dwell within the house.

Readings
Botting, Fred. “Horror.” The Handbook of Gothic Literature. Ed. Marie-Mulvey-Roberts. London: Palgrave Macmilliam, 1998. 123-131
Oates, Joyce Carol. “Secret Observations on the Goat-Girl.” The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales. Ed. Chris Baldick. London: Oxford UP, 1993. 498-501.

Resistance is Futile

Unit: Publishing Pracitce 212
Notes and thoughts, from readings of The Future of the Book.

The Future of the Book looks at just that – how the book will be available to us in the future. The short of it is that e-books are the future (hands up who didn't already know that) although, there is talk of being able to order books in hard-copy, and that a single copy will be printed out just for little-old-you and sent to you. Other than that, its just a matter of writing what you will, setting it to a particular template and publishing it. That's the gist I'm getting, anyway.

I have to admit that I don't really like what this chapter is outlining, for several reasons. Let's start with the fact that I am taking a publishing major in order to become a publisher, and already it looks like that occupation is becoming obsolete before I've even completed my degree. Seems and odd thing to make apparent to your students, but I guess we're ready for the truth of the future now.

Secondly, as a reader/book buyer/ I don't really like e-books. Okay, so it was cheap, and it meant that instead of buying the entire Sherlock Holmes collection for Lit 212 last semester I could just download the chapter I needed. On the other hand, by about page four I wished I had the story in print, rather than on the screen, because my eyes started getting a little fuzzy. Yes, I printed it out and finished reading it, but then that just goes on to say – it didn't look that good as a book. It was not aesthetically pleasing. Which didn't bother me so much, given that it was only a required reading for the unit and not something which I actually wanted to read. But I love books. I love the smell of them, and being able to curl up beneath a blanket with them. How books appear is important to me. To have one looking like nothing more than (and in truth, was nothing more than) a printed word document... I die a little bit inside.

And the alternative to this is to order the printed book and await its arrival. Well, what if I want that book now? I have some spare time between assignment, so I'll go get that book I've been waiting months to read, but damn, I have to wait until it's printed and shipped out to me, so I miss my window of opportunity. It happens, and as a student, it happens a lot. Of course, I don't expect to be a student for the rest of my life, but neither do I expect to have reams of time on my hands after university.

This goes on to say, what about bookshops? You know, places where you go, and you can sit in a corner with a book and go through it. I could spend hours in bookshops, looking through various books. No more, it appears. And what about libraries? Should we just start calling them museums?

I have an almost perfect case for this. My dungeon master gave me, and all of my campaign group, a good number of the D&D core books, something along the lines of 50-odd books, as pdfs. While it is certainly nice to have access to all of the books without having to spend on buying them, they are difficult to keep reading on screen after a few minutes, even though the pdfs are good quality (most of them) Never mind the fact that if my computer is off, or I'm not with it, I can't actually get to those books. And let's not even start on trying to share a pdf between 5 people on game night. So, I went and bought a copy of the Player's Handbook, because this is the one I really needed. Being able to wander in, pick it up and pay for it, thus making off with my gorgeous PHB was exactly what I wanted. I would have been really annoyed if I'd had to wait to buy it, just because I had to wait for a one-off to be printed for me. But wait... I did have to wait, because I wanted the PHB2 as well, but sadly they had sold out. So, I've got my name down for the next shipment, which will be in next week. So, I know what I say when I say I don't like having to wait for the book I want, when it could have damn well been there in the first place. Having to do this constantly, for every book I want to buy, well (censor language)

In terms of anybody being able to now author a book, I see this as a sad demise also. All the popular literature... I sigh. The quality of writing is in sad decline. I'm not about to go naming books I think should be burned for being a complete mockery of the art of writing, but let me say, placing the plot of an entire book on multiple happy coincidences should not take place, EVER. Alas. (I'm not saying that I think my writing is superior to everyone else out there, but I like to think that at least I attempt, very hard, to make it good writing.) Now, we're still talking about books that have publisher's approval at the moment. Think what it will be like if just anyone could send a book to “print.” Unhappy days.

There's also the matter of author protection. It's hard enough now, with everything ending up on the internet anyway, but you could imagine that copyright infringement will be so much the easier when its all there in digital form already. At least right now, someone has to put in the effort to scan/type the book again. (or steal it from the author/publisher/editor's computer)

But of course, none of this will matter. Because its all happening anyway. Eventually, we're all just going to be living through our computers, we're going to be borg. No more human interaction (hmm, maybe not so bad, but why be all vampiric if you can't actually be a vampire?)

Reading
Cope, B & D Mason. “The Future of the Book.” C-2-C, Creator to Consumer. Common Ground Publishing. Victoria, 2001. 17 - 37

Science Fiction, Double Feature...

Unit: Creative Writing 212-2 – Genre Shortfiction.
First seminar writing

Okay, so not quite a double feature. More like the first 10 minutes of a movie, but I have the song (opening credits of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) in my head at the moment.

So, creative writing doesn't look to be as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did really well last semester (much owing to someone who was willing to thoroughly work over my writing assignments for me) but I thought I was going to be stuck with a tutor who doesn't like my style of writing this semester. But, fortunately, that tutor is not taking us and instead I (and the rest of the class) has permission to write fantastical fiction if we so wish. I'd like to try out the horror genre, actually, but we shall see how that goes.

We pretty much just looked at how science fiction works as a genre, and all the codes and conventions that you would come to expect from it. Thus, we were given the first 10 minutes of Blade Runner to watch. In all, we decided that it could fit under the detective/crime genre just as well as it could sci-fi. The short of it though, we had to write an appropriate character sketch of Deckard (Harrison Ford's character) in 10 minutes. Here tis. (simply my interpretation of the character, who remains the property of his creator)

Bright lights flickered through the window, reflecting against the shine of water on his brown coat. Or, at least, you could think it brown, just like his hair, but the neon blues and reds that washed over him made it hard to tell.
Hard, watchful eyes moved from a damp paper – used in a futile attempt to keep the rain away – to the vendor over the street. Lines of set anger and resignation softened a little as he realised he was finally being beckoned over, but returned with a scowl as he contemplated the short journey through the rain.
Nevertheless, he plunged himself into the street, his very defiance of the rain warding him more than his soggy newspaper or the masking umbrellas everbody else carried.
He was not one of that flock. He was the brown against the black, the weathered lines of experience amongst the faceless, the defiance against a crowd of the same.

Regression

Unit: general

My tutors all seem to have a morbid fascination with journals this semester. As far as I can tell, this blog is supposed to be my journal/reading notes compilation for PP 212. Or, that's what its going to be.

At the same time, my notes for PWP 212 are required typewritten, so while they're on the computer, I may as well chuck them up here as well. CW 212-2 has no reading note requirement, but I think I'd rather keep them, so ditto for those. CIT 212 only requires a reading note journal, but hey, why not make it 4 out of 4. While I can be bothered anyway.

Don't get me wrong at all. I love my course. I often begrudge all the readings that are required, and the time it takes to do them, but I do find them fascinating when I get into them. Especially those that include theories of the gothic (sadly the literature course I was supposed to take was cancelled, so no more gothic for me) so CW 212-2 looking at the horror genre for a short time is going to go down nicely. Implications of modernity... maybe not so much, but hey, subjectivity and Freudian theory has its moments.

So It Begins

Day 1

Days go on for too long if you get up too early, I've noticed. I mean... I spent the last 8 or so weeks sleeping in until 11ish, so I guess I adjusted to days only being 12-13 hours long. Now, you get up to go to uni (or work first, as it may be) and find out that there are in fact more hours... I think I'm up to 12 already and there's another 5 left before normal bed-time.
It's all university's fault.

It means I have to take the early shifts at work, then run home to get changed and then catch the bus (notice, I was late for the bus today, which is a great way to start the new semester) and kind of fell into class all breathless from the stairs, of which Curtin has an unhealthy obsession.
Two hours of discussion on how things like print media affect the personal conscience and so forth... now I'm doing a tutorial presentation on gardens and landscaping and I'm sure she'll explain how on frelling Terra that relates to the modern psyche at some point otherwise I'm gorram frelled. Which may happen anyway.

Because...

Joy of all joys, the university of technology (the irony) can't schedule anything properly and I have a class overlap for my next two.

May I say now, how much do I hate the architecture building? I don't think anyone here likes it, and my friend described it as an Escher painting, which isn't exactly what you want in a (non) functional building. Five minutes late (for the second time today) because I got lost in the useless maze that is architecture and I'm into a class containing 6 people who don't know each other and don't seem to much want to yet.

Before being able to explain why to my tutor, I have to up and leave the class some 30-45 minutes early in order to make it to my next class. This basically consisted of running out with a promise of "I'll email you to let you know my situation," much to her amusement, I believe, then running down more stairs, then up *even more* stairs (unhealthy, unhealthy obsession) to get to class number 3, this time 15 minutes late.

At least this time I get to explain what's going on.

Except, now my head is in bit of a dizzy spin because I've just run from a class entitled "Fakes, Frauds and Fiction" and that's exactly what's written down here for my new class. So, momentarily, I'm not exactly sure where I am or what I'm doing. (some people will tell you this is a normal state for me, but I would like to protest. It's never this bad)
And lo... now I am told that one of my publishing assignments is to write a blog. Which would be all fair and good except for one thing.

I loathe blogs.

The thought of them makes a funny feeling in the back of my neck.

But, here it is. Do what you will with it. I don't really care what you think of it, just like I never really cared what *everyone* (everyone in this context excludes the people I actually know and care about) ever thought of me. Now, that might seem an odd thing to say given that I believe I'm being marked on this, but it just makes my point about why I just don't like blogs... people's opinions, which seems to be the function of blogs... I just don't care. Contradictory? Yeah. I still don't care.

I'm just here to do what I do, and right now what I do is apparantly alert the world to how my degree is going. Right now, its going shiny.

First day down... 11 weeks and 2 days to go...

Alas.